Celebrate National Houseplant Appreciation DayGo Green: Get A Houseplant
It’s in the 60’s outside this morning and, as I sit inside sipping my coffee, I’m smiling as I look around and see so many houseplants. Most are doing well; a couple need a bit of attention. But overall, I’ve found that being able to just sit and appreciate plants before the day fully gets going helps ground me. When it’s chilly out (like today), having the ability to appreciate plants that are indoors or viewable through a window seems like an extra special gift.
It turns out that I’m not alone. Study after study has shown that indoor plants can increase positive feelings and decrease the perception of negative emotions such as fear, unhappiness and aggressiveness. These benefits are in addition to the physical benefits that plants provide: they cleanse and cool the air and provide food to humans and animals.
Interestingly, mainstream media reports that there’s a budding resurgence in nurturing houseplants as a hobby. Driven largely by social media, new plant parents are finding support and ideas from others in online communities, including our own Facebook page.
While many people elect to grow exotics inside, Floridians are lucky in that several of our native plants are houseplant material. Sea Purslane (Sesuvium portulacastrum) is one great example. This coastal native forms a trailing mat of reddish-green stems with tiny pink flowers and makes a great plant for a hanging basket or for use as a “spiller” in a container garden. Ferns like the Southern Wood Fern (Dryopteris ludoviciana) can be great for shadier spots in the house. Florida peperomia (Peperomia obtusifolia) is suitable for a larger indoor pot while its relative, low peperomia (Peperomia humilis), makes a great alternative for smaller-sized pots.
Monday was National Houseplant Appreciation Day. Why not be a force for good? Join us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as we help others learn to #NurtureNative both indoors and out.
I look forward to chatting with you there.